1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for performing wireless communication using a plurality of frequency channels. More specifically, the invention relates to a method and an apparatus for performing wireless communication, which are applied to a short-range wireless communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A new short-range radio communication system for wirelessly connecting electronic apparatuses by radio signals has recently been developed. IEEE 802.11b and Bluetooth™ are known as typical short-range wireless communication systems.
IEEE 802.11b is a standard of a short-range wireless communication system targeted for a wireless LAN, while Bluetooth™ is a standard of a short-range wireless communication system targeted for wireless communication between various pieces of mobile and digital equipment. In either of the above wireless communication systems, a plurality of frequency channels are defined within a 2.4-GHz frequency band called an ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band, and these frequency channels are used selectively.
If, however, wireless communication using IEEE 802.11b and wireless communication using Bluetooth™ are carried out in the same area, there is a risk that interference of electromagnetic signals will occur between them. This interference decreases the wireless communication performance of the both IEEE 802.11b and Bluetooth™. Especially, the interference greatly influences the wireless communication performance of IEEE 802.11b. The wireless communication performance of IEEE 802.11b is therefore decreased significantly. Moreover, there is a case where disconnection of a radio link disables the wireless communication of IEEE 802.11b.